To the Editor:
I know that I am not alone in seeing in the October 23 issue of The Rhode Island Catholic a virtual endorsement of Senator John McCain for president. His picture appeared on the front page of the newspaper. A second picture of him talking with Cardinal Egan at the Al Smith dinner appeared on an inside page of the newspaper. The Rhode Island Catholic did not carry a picture of Senator Obama, even though Senator Obama was also in attendance at the Al Smith dinner.
I presume that The Rhode Island Catholic's virtual endorsement of Senator McCain is due to the fact that the senator has appropriated to himself the “Pro-Life” slogan. This appropriation requires only that the senator say that he is opposed to Roe v. Wade.
On the other hand, the pillars of Senator McCain's campaign for the presidency constitute a vigorous promotion of the culture of death, so lamented by the late Pope John Paul II. Those pillars are McCain's support for lower taxes and his support for the war in Iraq.
Senator McCain roundly supports the tax cuts of the Bush administration, with their concomitant cutting of government spending and an increase in the number of abortions (and infant mortality) when compared to the numbers at the time of the previous administration. Senator McCain hopes to maintain and increase these cuts, presumably increasing as well the number of abortions in our country.
The other pillar of the McCain campaign is support for the offensive war in Iraq, condemned as immoral by both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. McCain has taunted his opponent for not supporting this form of immorality. He proposes that the one exception to his proposed cuts in government spending should be “defense,” McCain's misnomer for an offensive war and the additional offensive war which he has proposed as a possibility.
My question concerns a serious matter of morality. Why does The Rhode Island Catholic virtually endorse a candidate whose political campaign has been dedicated to the promotion of a culture of death?
(Rev.) Raymond F. Collins
Warren-Blanding Professor of Religion (retired)
Professor of New Testament
The Catholic Univesity of America
Visiting Scholar
Brown University
Ed. note: While The Rhode Island Catholic, as a for-profit corporation, can endorse candidates, it has not ever done so. Pictures of political candidates do not imply endorsement “virtual,” imagined or in fact, but are simply deemed newsworthy.
